Trolley harp and contact device



p 927 s. MAGGIO 'IROLLEY HARP AlflD CONTACT DEVICE Filed Jan. 5. 1926 l VENTQR.

{4,4 ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 13, 1927.

SALVATORE MAGGIO, "or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

TROLLEY HA3? AND CONTACT DEVICE.

Application filed January The trolley-wheels now in general use tend to jump from the overhead wire on curves, switches, cross-overs and under other conditions in which the wire more or less abruptly changes its direction or elevation. Theresult is always delay and inconvenience, as the car must be stopped and the conductor must replace the wheel, which, especially at night, is sometimes diflicult. Such an occurrence is also fraught with danger, as the car is likely to get beyond control, especially where electrically operated brakes are used. F urthermore when thetrolley-wheel of a car in motion jumps from the wire, the trolley-pole 5 frequently flies up and wrecks the supports of the overhead wire and causes it to break and fallto the ground.

The object which I have in view is the provision of an improved contact device which will not jump the wire, and which may be readily engaged with the Wire.

My improved contact device is characterized by the provision of a pilot contact member which travels in engagement with the wire in advance of the main contact member and is mounted so as to move laterally, relative tothe main contact member, in obedience to changes in direction of the wire. Resilientmeans are provided to normally hold the pilot member aimed in front of the main member and to return it to such alined position, said means causing the main, member to follow the course of the pilot member without danger of jumping.

The main contact member is preferably composed of a wheel with a grooved perimeter and a disk, the same being disposed in upwardly converging planes and the Wire being engaged by the groove and held in place by the disk. Preferably the wheel and disk are providedwith bevelled toothed sur faces which intermesh so that the wheel and disk are rotated in unison by their travel along the .wire. The wheel and disk areres iliently pressed toward each otherbut may be spread by pulling on the trolley rope when they are to be brought into or out of contact with the wire.

The pilot member is preferably a widely and deeply grooved roller. 1

Other novel features of construction, and also of arran ement of parts, will appear from the follo wing description- Referring to the drawings wherein I have illustrated the best embodiment of the prin- V 'ciples ofmy invention now known to me,

5, 1926. Serial No. 79,358.

Fig. 1 is a'rear elevation with certain of the springs omitted for the sake of clearness; F g. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a plan view; Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation showing the method of engaging the contact device with the overhead wire in normal operation; Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the contact device in normal travelling engagement with the overhead wire, and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the operation of the contact device on a curved wire.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the'usual trolley pole which is mounted on the roof of the car and is generally provided with resilient means for pressing the contact member upwardly against the overhead wire. I

B is the harp in whose socket 1 the upper end of the pole is fixed. 2 and 3 are the upwardly diverging legs of the harp, one of the same, as 2, being preferably integral with or fixed to the socket, While the other leg is pivotally attached,'as by the bolt 4,

To as to.swing toward and away from the The legs are normally resiliently drawn toward each other, as by the helical springs 5 hav ng their ends attached to the legs and their inner ends attached to a center plate 6.

be spread apart, against the tension of the springs 5, by the conductor pulling on the trolley-rope 7. Thus 8 is a lever having its one end pivotally connected to the leg 2 while itsfree endv is provided with a roller 9 which engages a cam block 10 on the leg 3. The trolley-rope 7 is connected to the lever 8 so that a downward pull on the rope will cause the legs 2 and 3 to separate. The lever is resiliently held in its raised or retracted position against the arcuate stop 11 at the upper end of the'cam 10, by means of a helical spring 12 which connects the lever to the plate 6. The stop 11 also functions to limit the convergence of the legs 2 and 3.

The-upper ends of thelegs 2 and 3 are turned in toward each other and are provided with socket bearings 13 in which are journaled thetrunnions 14 :Which form the lower ends of a pair ofupwardly extending posts 15 and 16 on which are rotatably mounted the grooved wheel G and the disk or roller D whose axes are inclinedtoward each other so as to coact to enga e between them the overhead wire. I pr er to pro-' Means are provided whereby the legs may vide the wheel and disk with annular toothed portions 17 and 18, respectively, which engage as beveled gears so that the Wheel and disk are normally rotated at the same speed by contact with the overhead wire.

It is evident that by pulling downward on the rope 7 the conductor may spread the wheel and roller apart to engage them with or disengage them from the wire.

The wheel C and the disk D coact in forming what I term my main contactmeans.

It will be noted that the wheel and disk are carried by posts which are rotatable relative to the harp on substantially horizontal axes. The movement of the posts relative to the harp B is limited by the levers 19 one of which is rigid with each of the post-trunnions 14: and extends forwardly through a slot 20 in the wall of the bearing 13 disposed concentrically to the axis of the bearing. The slots are indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Contact of the levers 19 with the upper ends of said slots 20 prevent the posts turning rearwardly beyond the plane of the legs 2 and 3 while the contact of said levers with the lower ends of the slots 20 limit the forward and downward swing of the posts.

The posts and 16 and the wheel G and disk D are normally held in and automatically returned to their position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 by resilient means. Thus rigid arms 21 extending rearwardly from each of the posts 15 and 16 are connected respectively, by the helical springs 22 with the rigid arms 23 extending rearwardly from the legs 2 and 3. The springs 22 also aid in pressing the primary contact member in engagement with the overhead wire. The springs 22 are omitted from Fig. 1 for the sake of clearness. Q

I will now describe my pilot contact means, which is preferably capable of lateral movement relative to the main contact means.

The outer ends of the levers 19 which extend forwardly through the slots have attached thereto the downwardly inclined arms 24: to whose free ends is attached the crossplate 25. At least one of the arms 24: is provided with hinge 26 to prevent interference with the spreading of the legs 2 and 3 when the rope 7 is pulled.

27 is a post rigidly mounted on the center of plate and extending upwardly and forwardly. 28 is a bracket pivotally mounted at its rear center on the upper end of the post 27. 29 is a yoke integral with the bracket 28 in the front of the latters axis of movement,'and 30 represents a pair of stubaxles extending inwardly from each arm of the yoke and upon which is rotatably mounted the relative wide roller E which is widely and deeply grooved, as shown. The roller E forms what I term the secondary contact means.

The roller E is normally retained in and resiliently returned to a position in the front of the wheel G and disk D with the plane of its axis parallel to the plane of their axes, by resilient means.

Thus I show helical springs 81 connecting arms 32 extending from either side of the plate 28 with arms 33 extending laterally from either posts 15 and 16.

In the normal operation both the main and the pilot contact means maintain traveling engagement with the overhead wire F, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the spring of the trolley pole holding them in such engagement. Where a curve or angle in the wire is encountered, as indicated in Fig. 6, the laterally resilient mounting of the roller E permits it to follow the wire withoutdanger of jumping and the springs 31 which resiliently resist the swinging of the bracket 28 cause the wheel G and the disk D to follow around the curve or angle without danger of jumpmg.

In case the wire accidentally moves down between wheel G and disk D. below the groove in the'wheel, the conductor may read- 11y replace the wheel and roller in proper position relative to the wire by first spreading them apart by means of the trolley rope.

V\ hen the trolley is being placed on the wire, as when the car is to be started out on a trip, the roller E is first placed in engagement with the wire F, as indicated in Fig. 4 and then the wheel C and disk D held spread apart by proper tension on the trolley rope, are slacked into engagement.

Since the roller E has a broad engaging face it is easily brought into engagement with the wire and the main contact means readily follows into like engagement. Thus the entire operation is accomplished with reater facility than is the placing of the trolley wheel, now in the general use, in engagement with the wire.

What I desire to claim is 1. In a trolley contact device for use with an overhead conductor-wire, the combination of a main contact means and a pilot contact means in front of the main contact means, both of said means being mounted on the trolley poleor other support and normally traveling in contact with the wire, and said main contact means comprising a grooved wheel and a disk disposed in converging planes and engaging the wire between them, said wheel and disk being spring pressed toward each other and being arranged for separation by tension on the trolley rope.

2. In a trolley contact device for use with an overhead conductor-wire, the combination of a main contact means and a pilot contact means in front of the main contact means, both of said means being mounted on the toward each other and beingarranged for separation by tension on the trolley rope,

'- andsaid pilot means being arranged for lateral movement relative to the main contact means in following the wire.

3. In a trolley contact device for use with an overhead conductor-wire, the combination of a main contact means and a pilot contact means in front ofthe main contact means, both of said means being mounted on the trolley pole or other support and normally traveling in contact with the wire, and said main contact means comprising 'a grooved wheel and a disk disposed in converging planes and engaging the wire between them, said wheel and disk being spring pressed toward each other and being arran ed for separation by tension on the trolley rope, and said pilot means being arranged for lateral movement relative to the main contact means in following the wire, said pilot contact means being resiliently retained in alinement in front of said main contact means.

4. In a trolley contact device for use with an overhead conductor wire, the combination of a main contact means and a pilot means in front of the main contact means, said pilot means being arranged for lateral movement relative to the main contact means in following the wire, both of said means being mounted on the trolley pole or other support and normally traveling in contact with the wire, and said main contact means comprisin a pair of rotatably mounted members isposed 1n convergmg planes and engaging the wire between them andfrom either side.

5. In a trolley contact device for use with an overhead conductor wire, the combination of a main contact means and a pilot means in front of the main contact means, said'pilot means being arranged for lateral movement relative to the main contact means in following the wire, both of said means being mounted on the trolley pole or other support and normally traveling in contact withthe wire, and said main contact means comprising a pair of rotatably mounted members disposed in converging planes and engaging the wire between them and from either side, said members being spring pressed towards each other.

6. In a trolley contact device for use with an over-head conductor wire, the combination of a main contact means and a pilot means in front of the main contact means, said pilot means being arranged for lateral movement relative to the main contact means in following the wire, both of said means being mounted on the trolley pole or other support and normally traveling in contact with the wire, and said main contact means comprising a pair of rotatably mounted members disposed in converging planes and engaging the wire between them and from either side, said members being spring pressed towards each other and being arranged for separation by tension on the trolley rope.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa., this 14th day of December, 1925.

' SALVATORE MAGGIO. 

